Port Hueneme to take emergency measures to protect shoreline

The Port Hueneme City Council declared a municipal emergency this week to let city crews immediately try to stop shoreline erosion threatening Surfside Drive and other beachfront areas.

This year’s sand replenishment along the shore fell far short of what is needed, according to Community Development Director Greg Brown. In late December, the Army Corps of Engineers pumped about 400,000 cubic yards of the 2 million the city needs every other year to keep its beaches sandy.

At risk are Surfside Drive, the homes there and the Hueneme Pier.

The council Monday night authorized spending up to $500,000 on emergency measures, but Brown doesn’t think the entire amount will be spent.

He said he asked that an emergency be declared so the city could have an abbreviated bidding process on the work, and also in case swells or abnormally high tides wash away what is left of the sand.

Councilman Douglas Breeze said the problem is frustrating because the federal government is to blame. The government has agreed it is responsible for keeping Port Hueneme beaches sandy, but funding issues in Congress are holding up the money.

“Where’s the thought process in all of this? No one is using common sense. It’s not the Army Corps of Engineers’ fault. They’re a fine bunch of people. It’s the regulations,” Breeze said.

The problem of sand replenishment was identified soon after the Port of Hueneme was built in the 1930s. The port blocks the natural flow of sand that runs down the California coastline.

When Channel Islands Harbor was built in Oxnard, a sand trap was part of its design. Sand that collects in the trap is supposed to be pumped past the port entrance every two years so that it can settle on the Port Hueneme shoreline.

Breeze said moving the dredging barge and associated equipment into place takes $2 million, but this year the corps had less money and pumped just 400,000 cubic yards of sand. Waves and high tides have already scoured that sand from the beaches.

The corps estimates the Channel Islands sand trap, designed to hold up to 2.6 million cubic yards of sand, has 3 million cubic yards. As such, the sand Port Hueneme needs is instead choking the Channel Islands Harbor entrance.

The city is seeking a mid-cycle replenishment, but it will happen in October at the earliest. City Manager John Richard Velthoen issued a memo in April that has been circulated to area lawmakers to get their support for the replenishment, estimated to cost $10 million.

In the meantime, Brown said, some of the city’s $500,000 will be used for sandbags to preserve the shoreline during the summer. There will be less parking for beach visitors, he said.

The city also is monitoring the pier for signs of instability because the pilings are no longer sunk as deep as they should be, Brown said.

In other matters Monday, the council voted to offer up to six early-retirement incentives of up to $30,000 per person to reduce personnel costs.

Carmen Nichols, assistant to the city manager, said the city needs to reduce staff because of financial problems, including the loss of a wastewater treatment contract with Naval Base Ventura County and the statewide elimination of redevelopment agencies.

The city in February adjusted its fiscal year 2011-12 deficit to $1.65 million from $834,600. The budget deficit for fiscal year 2012-13 is about $274,000, although grant money is expected to reduce that number, according to Robert Bravo, city finance director.